NFL Honors Voting: Recap, Snubs, Surprises, and More

The NFL hosted its 12th annual NFL Honors last night in Phoenix. The AP award winners were revealed at the NFL Honors ceremony last night. We’re going to run down the winners for those of you who missed it.

We’re also going to discuss voting for the awards. There were some “well, hey, would you look at that” moments. Like Justin Fields getting an MVP vote. Not that I’m mad about it as a Bears fan. But I certainly didn’t expect it.

MVP: Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs

Mahomes was a no-brainer for the MVP Award. He had one of the best seasons of his career, setting new career highs in passing yards (5,250) and completion percentage (67.1).

Mahomes won it in a landslide, receiving 48 of the 50 possible first-place votes. Mahomes finished with 490 points, with Jalen Hurts the next closest having 193 points. Here’s how the top five vote-getters shook out with their total voting points in parentheses.

Note: The AP voting system awards five points for a first-place vote, four points for a second-place vote, and so on.

1. Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs (490)
2. Jalen Hurts, Eagles (193)
3. Josh Allen, Bills (151)
4. Joe Burrow, Bengals (128)
5. Justin Jefferson (55)

The quarterbacks ruled the voting, as expected. Justin Jefferson’s historical season got him a bunch of third and fourth-place votes. San Francisco pass rusher Nick Bosa finished behind Jefferson with 20 points. Trevor Lawrence and Micah Parsons joined the rest of that group as the only players with more than one point. Lawrence earned three points and Parsons two.

Bears quarterback Justin Fields received a fifth-place vote …

YO! Justin Fields Received an NFL MVP Votehttps://t.co/muMHluFjlw pic.twitter.com/FuHk6rp2DL

— Bleacher Nation Bears (@BN_Bears) February 10, 2023

…as did Bills’ trainer Denny Kellington for his efforts in saving Damar Hamlin’s life in January.

Offensive Player of the Year: Justin Jefferson, Vikings

Like the MVP award, the voters got the easy one right when it comes to Justin Jefferson winning the Offensive Player of the Year award.

Jefferson put together one of the best seasons by a wide receiver in NFL history. The third-year receiver caught 128 passes for 1,809 yards and eight touchdowns. Jefferson received 35 of the 50 possible first-place votes. Here’s how the top five vote-getters shook out, with their total voting points in parentheses.

1. Justin Jefferson, Vikings (192)
2. Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs (75)
3. Jalen Hurts, Eagles (52)
4. Tyreek Hill, Dolphins (43)
5. Josh Jacobs, Raiders (32)

Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce finished outside the top five with 20 points. 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey joined the top five and Kelce as the only players with more than 10 points (11).

Had to recognize @JJettas2's all-time catch at #NFLHonors @awscloud pic.twitter.com/sxiLVwJKAi

— NFL (@NFL) February 10, 2023

Defensive Player of the Year: Nick Bosa, 49ers

Another no-brainer here. Bosa was a freak this season, logging 18.5 sacks in 16 games. Bosa’s sack total was a career-best. Bosa dominated the voting, earning 46 first-place votes. Here’s how the top five vote-getters shook out, with their total voting points in parentheses.

1. Nick Bosa, 49ers (237)
2. Micah Parsons, Cowboys (131)
3. Chris Jones, Chiefs (56)
4. Haason Reddick, Eagles (19)
5. Myles Garrett, Browns (17)

Bosa was the clear-cut favorite here. However, I was slightly surprised that Micah Parsons didn’t get a single first-place vote.

Of the four first-place votes Bosa didn’t get, two went to Haason Reddick, one to Chris Jones, and one to Quinnen Williams of the Jets. Williams finished in seventh place, with all five points coming from that lone first-place vote.

Coach of the Year: Brian Daboll, Giants

The Coach of the Year voting was pretty tight. Brian Daboll beat Kyle Shanahan by 23 points, finishing with 123 to Shanahan’s 100.

Daboll took the Giants to the playoffs and won a playoff game in his first season as the head coach in New York. Shanahan navigated his way through two season-ending injuries under center and fell one win short of the Super Bowl.

Either way, it went; both candidates were deserving of the honor. Here’s how the top five vote-getters shook out, with their total voting points in parentheses.

1. Brian Daboll, Giants (123)
2. Kyle Shanahan, 49ers (100)
3. Doug Pederson, Jaguars (75)
4. Sean McDermott, Bills (48)
5. Nick Siriani, Eagles (45)

Nick Siriani finishing with just 45 points highlights the weird theory that he’s just some sort of caretaker of an incredible roster. Siriani has made a 180 as a head coach since he took over in Philadelphia. He led the Eagles to a 14-win season and an NFC Championship. He and his staff also unlocked Jalen Hurts and turned him into an MVP candidate.

Assistant Coach of the Year: DeMeco Ryans, 49ers

DeMeco Ryans, now the head coach of the Houston Texans, was named the Assistant Coach of the Year. Ryans led a 49ers unit that was among the best in the NFL this season. His excellent performance led him to a head coaching position.

Ryans received 35 of the first-place votes. Lions’ offensive coordinator Ben Johnson received 11. Here’s how the top five vote-getters shook out, with their total voting points in parentheses.

1. DeMeco Ryans, 49ers (206)
2. Ben Johnson, Lions (113)
3. Shane Steichen, Eagles (26)
4. Leslie Fraizer, Bills (25)
5. Lou Anarumo, Bengals (21)

I really thought that Lou Anarumo should have gotten more votes for what he did with the Bengals’ defense this season.

Offensive Rookie of the Year: Garrett Wilson, Jets

New York Jets’ wide receiver Garrett Wilson edged out Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III 156-129 in the AP voting. But Walker received more first-place votes than Wilson!

Walker received 19 first-place votes to Wilson’s 18. However, the 19 second-place votes that Wilson received gave him the edge over Walker, who received just eight second-place votes. Here’s how the top five vote-getters shook out, with their total voting points in parentheses.

1. Garrett Wilson, Jets (156)
2. Kenneth Walker III, Seahawks (129)
3. Brock Purdy, 49ers (78)
4. Chris Olave, Saints (50)
5. Tyler Allgeier, Falcons (12)

Behind Wilson and Walker was 49ers rookie Brock Purdy who finished with 78 points and six first-place votes.

Defensive Rookie of the Year: Sauce Gardner, Jets

It was a clean sweep in the AP Rookie of the Year awards for the Jets. Rookie cornerback Sauce Gardner won the award on the defensive side of the ball.

Gardner defeated Aidan Hutchinson (who won the NFL Rookie of the Year Award yesterday, a separate award from the AP awards) 242-149.

Gardner landed 46 of the 50 possible first-place votes in a landslide victory. Hutchinson received three first-place votes and Tariq Woolen received one. Here’s how the top five vote-getters shook out, with their total voting points in parentheses.

1. Sauce Gardner, Jets (242)
2. Aidan Hutchinson, Lions (149)
3. Tariq Woolen, Seahawks (73)
4. Kayvon Thibodeaux, Giants (3)
5. Jalen Pitre (1)

Comeback Player of the Year: Geno Smith, Seahawks

Geno Smith winning the comeback player of the year award was a slam dunk. Smith landed 28 first-place votes and finished with 171 points. 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey finished in second place with 110 points.

McCaffrey earned 12 first-place votes. Other first-place vote-getters were Saquon Barkley (4), Brandon Graham (2), Nick Gates (2), Jared Goff (1), and J.J. Watt (1).

Here’s how the top five vote-getters shook out, with their total voting points in parentheses.

1. Geno Smith, Seahawks (171)
2. Christian McCaffrey, 49ers (110)
3. Saquon Barkley, Giants (86)
4. Brandon Graham, Eagles (21)
5. Nick Gates, Giants (18)